The End of the World Reveiw

So, I wanted to do something light and fluffy for my next review for the end of the world. So, I thought of a TV show from some years back about six friends (three boys and three girls) who hang out together in bars and coffee houses and their own homes, and talk about sex. A LOT. 

In Britain!

Ladies and Not Ladies, I present you with... Coupling!

That guy at the bottom? That's Commodore Norrington.

So, all of you know about Doctor Who, right? Probably not. Which means you've never heard of Steve Moffat. If you have, you'll have heard of this gem of a TV Show which is one of the few good things I got from my ex-boyfriend.

Coupling was a British Sitcom written by Steven Moffat and released in the UK between 2000 and 2004 about six friends in their thirties and their dating and sexual adventures. It starred Jack Davenport (Commodore Norrington from Pirates of the Caribbean) and Richard Coyle (Moist von Lipwig from Going Postal).  The central couple is Susan Walker and Steve Taylor who are actually based on Steven Moffat and his spouse.

As with all relationships, Steve and Sue's relationship comes with baggage, namely their best friends and their exes. On Sue's side, you have Sally Harper (the best friend) and Patrick Maitland (Ben Miles). On Steve's end you have Jeff Murdock (the best friend) and Jane Christie (the ex). That's the main cast right there. Through a crazy series of events that is the first season of the show, the six become friends and hang out together a lot.

What I found funny was that every character can be described based on how they feel about sex and interactions with the opposite sex. On the girls' end...

• Sally Harper: Very anxious and full of paranoia about her own looks and the way the opposite sex view her looks. She's afraid she'll die alone.
• Susan Walker: Sensible and organized and in a successful (mostly) relationship with Steve Taylor.
• Jane Christie: Very possessive and promiscuous and possibly a lesbian. Has a failed relationship with Steve Taylor and never seems to let go.

On the boys' end...

• Jeff Murdock: Full of sexual frustration, ridiculous stories and fantasies about women and sex, and just problems. He is the pinnacle of sexual dysfunction.
• Steve Taylor: Pretty much the every-man of the group. He tries to be the voice of reason, but he tends to get into worse trouble than any of them. He's in a relationship with Susan Walker.
• Patrick Maitland: The anti-Jeff. He has lots and lots of sex with lots and lots of different women and he's not the sharpest tool in the shed (though he might be the biggest).  He cannot comprehend meeting a woman and NOT getting her into bed with him. 

I love the show because everyone is insane and it's great to see how one small thing can lead to... well... Here's a clip from Inferno to give you a clue:

In case you didn't figure it out, Susan discovered a pornographic film in Steve's VCR. Somehow it gets brought up over dinner with the friends and Jane's psychologist (who everyone thinks is her lesbian date). So then this whole... conversation happens. It actually is a pretty good argument for porn in my opinion. Of course, more problems happen when they eventually meet the psychiatrist again further down the line. 

I like Coupling because, it's a very simple show. It's six friends shooting the breeze, talking about sex and getting into some very random bits of trouble. There's no violence, but a lot of sex and it does examine the nature of being a woman and being a man at certain points. The sex is implied and the jokes are all funny. It's just a nice show to fall back on when the rest of the world seems to be altogether too depressing to live in. I'll watch it again and again and again for that reason and personally, I think you should too. Especially if the world doesn't end!